McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says the team was not informed about Ferrari’s filming day at the Madring, the new home of the Spanish Grand Prix, and that any advantage from running there first is unlikely to matter once the race weekend begins. Stella said: "We were not informed that Ferrari would have had this session in Madrid. So possibly a little bit of an advantage. I think after a few laps in Madrid, we will have forgotten about that, and we will just get along with just focusing on the race weekend, so not a big deal."
Isack Hadjar says Max Verstappen’s race management is “on a different level” to his, and is the main area he is focusing on improving in his first season with Red Bull. Hadjar said: "I would say Max has been very impressive on Sundays, all around. I think my one-lap pace has been pretty good, but how well he is managing the races is on a different level, so that's what I'm focusing on working on."





Kimi Antonelli says he let the pressure “destroy” him during a difficult spell in the European leg of his 2025 rookie season at Mercedes. Antonelli said: "I think mostly last year I felt this, because obviously I've had a good start of the season, then I've had a difficult period, the European season, where I really struggle. And in that moment I felt… I let the pressure kind of destroy me as well during that period, because I felt like I was letting down so many people who had believed in me – especially Toto [Wolff], because he was the main one who took the decision."

Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad says he never had a plan B because he always believed he would become a Formula 1 driver. Lindblad said: "No. Never. Because in my mind, plan A was always going to work. Even when I was five or six years old, I simply couldn't picture a future where I wasn't a Formula 1 driver. It wasn't even a possibility in my head. Maybe that's also why I never felt intimidated by expectations. A lot of people are frightened by such a huge ambition. I honestly never was."

Mercedes deputy technical director Simone Resta says the team will focus on a “sizeable” upgrade package for its 2026 Formula 1 car after the summer break. Resta said: "We always try to keep bringing little steps here and there at every race. Of course, we have seen teams bringing more stuff than us, which is great for them, and we are still trying to bring some items at every race. Probably, after the shutdown, we will try to focus on having something more sizeable on the car. So, we are clearly focused on trying to develop the car at every event, but also trying to think bigger by bringing another step to the car."

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